Every Princess Needs a Knight
by kyokki
Summary: In a not so distant future, Sasami finds herself on the brink of assimilating with her godess. Tsunami is worried, so she sets up a distraction.


The characters in this piece of fan fiction are owned by AIC pioneer. I am   
  
only using them for my own amusement and do not get anything but satisfaction   
  
from my writing. This work of fiction has absolutely nothing to do with OVA 3. Disregard this series completely, as it should be. Take into account that only OVA1, 2 are applicable.  
  
Every Princess Needs a Knight.  
  
Chapter one...Guardian, My Guardian  
  
The royal bedchamber was dark; the only light to enter the room came from   
  
the enormous window that completely filled one of the walls. The light of the   
  
stars spilled in through that window and if you stood looking out the glass you   
  
could see the endless stretches of green trees that made up most of the   
  
topography of the planet known as Jurai.   
  
The room was large, austere, and largely devoid of furniture, save for the   
  
enormous bed beneath the equally enormous window that proclaimed, without a   
  
doubt, what the intended purpose of this chamber was.  
  
In the large bed three figures could be seen beneath the rich bedclothes,   
  
outlined by the wan light pouring through the lone window. Soft snores and   
  
mutters occasionally were heard as the three royal personages slept in relative   
  
harmony on their tree-filled planet. The snores generally came from the form in   
  
the middle, which was slightly larger than the other two, and the mutters came   
  
from the Queen Misaki, who tossed and turned, fitfully fighting the covers on   
  
the left side of the bed. The Queen Funaho slept on the other side of her   
  
husband, peacefully enough, over the millennia she had learned to tune out the   
  
night noises of her bedmates.   
  
In the corner of the massive room, where the shadows lay the thickest, a   
  
soft light began to form. A hazy blue, the color of still water beneath a crisp   
  
blue sky, it grew, and took on the form of a woman dressed in the ceremonial   
  
robes of Jurai royalty. Through the light of her own power, her eyes were a   
  
delicate pink and her long turquoise hair flowed like a calm stretch of river   
  
down her back. Tsunami had come to pay a call on the royal family of Jurai. Her   
  
light filled the room, turning the scenery outside the window to shadowy   
  
blackness.   
  
Queen Misaki slept fitfully. She had never been a deep sleeper; she just   
  
had too much energy to be able to use it all in the course of a single day. She   
  
turned on her side then her stomach and punched the pillow. She heard a muffled   
  
grunt and opened her hazy eyes to make sure she had not just tried to fluff King   
  
Azusa, he had often awoken with unexplained bruises and she deemed it   
  
unnecessary to tell him how he had acquired them.   
  
Through the mist of unrequited sleepiness, she saw light, a strange blue   
  
light, filling the room. She frowned and turned over in bed, wondering, muzzily,   
  
if someone had forgotten to extinguish one of the lamps. She saw the figure   
  
standing in one corner of the room, and, still muzzily, speculated on who had   
  
bought the strange light. The woman coughed politely, and Misaki was suddenly   
  
wide-awake. She looked around the room, somewhat frantically, where were the   
  
guards she had had posted? She tossed aside her covers, leapt out of bed and   
  
assumed the Jurian standard fighting stance, her eyes narrowed.  
  
The goddess looked somewhat taken aback at the queen's reaction. "Queen   
  
Misaki." she started to say, and broke off as the queen advanced purposely   
  
forward, her face assuming the 'Evil Misaki' look. "Queen Misaki," the woman   
  
continued quickly, backing up a few steps. "It is I, Tsunami."   
  
The queen straightened and, much to the goddess's relief, her menacing   
  
stalking ceased. The Second Queen of Jurai, director of the royal guards, of   
  
the Jurai royal council questioned. "Tsunami?" Her face was baffled. She peered   
  
closely at the goddess, "Did anyone tell you that you look a lot like my little   
  
Sasami?"  
  
Tsunami sighed; it was going to be a long night.  
  
Earlier, on planet Earth  
  
The Princess Sasami sat listlessly staring out of the bank of windows that   
  
lined one wall of the Masaki house, her rose colored eyes sad. Soon, it would be   
  
soon, she thought, her mind tumbling over itself. Listlessness was not a   
  
characterization that usually colored the princess's make up. But she had to   
  
admit to herself that it was a true description. Sasami was now nearly 718 years   
  
old, but she had the appearance of an eighteen year old, thanks to the metabolic   
  
stasis that she was kept in during the search for her brother, Yosho. She   
  
sighed, her eyes on the dim day before her. It reflected her mood, stormy, the   
  
ash colored clouds tumbling over each other before the wind.   
  
It was not that Sasami liked herself like that, of course. She was   
  
normally a happy and energetic girl. But recently, she found herself thinking   
  
thoughts that were not her own. She could almost feel herself changing, becoming   
  
Tsunami. She was thankful, of course, that Tsunami had allowed her to have a   
  
normal childhood, to grow up and go through the tumultuous teen years, but now,   
  
she could sense that it was almost time, and she would soon feel what it was   
  
like to be the goddess. The thing that bothered her was not that Tsunami had   
  
saved her life so many years ago, or the fact that they would become one. Her   
  
major concern was how it would affect her, the girl that was Sasami, her   
  
personality, her soul. She wouldn't really be Sasami anymore. She sighed again,   
  
and two tears trickled down her face. Soon, now...it would be soon.  
  
Within Sasami, the spirit of Tsunami was upset, not only because the one   
  
with whom she was so intimately entwined was so anguished, but also because she   
  
was not sure what to do about it. And unsure was definitely not one of the   
  
goddess's favorite positions. In reality, Sasami's strangeness with herself was   
  
only a part of growing up and an increasing awareness of the future. Her merging   
  
with Sasami was natural and it was nearly complete. Sasami was just using their   
  
assimilation as a scapegoat for her own uneasiness.   
  
A distraction. What Sasami needed, she mused, was a distraction, something   
  
to take her mind off of the changes within herself. Like a boy, or man rather.   
  
Tenchi was out of the question, of course, he had his hands full with both Ayeka   
  
and Ryoko. She smiled, remembering their wedding day. At least those two had   
  
discovered that they were friends before they became sister-wives.  
  
What she needed was to look back over the bloodlines of Jurai; perhaps she   
  
could find a suitable young man. She wouldn't force Sasami to love him, but,   
  
just in case that should happen, maybe her son, she smiled, or daughter, would   
  
be another prodigy with the ability that she had so carefully cultivated, the   
  
ability to summon the light hawk wings. And if they didn't get along, Sasami   
  
would be so busy disliking him that she wouldn't have time to fight with   
  
herself. Tsunami was satisfied, what her other self needed, she concluded, was a   
  
knight. With that thought, she decided to pay a visit to the royal palace.   
  
Hopefully Funaho would be up.   
  
Later, on planet Jurai  
  
Her hopes...were in vain. Tsunami looked longingly over at the bed where   
  
Azusa and Funaho still peacefully slept. Then she looked back at the pink-eyed   
  
woman who was, sort of, her mother. Misaki was standing there with a confused   
  
expression on her animated face. "Queen Misaki, I need you to do something for   
  
me and for your daughter, Princess Sasami." The goddess said softly.  
  
Misaki settled herself more comfortably, cocking out one hip and tilting   
  
her head to the side. "Yes, Tsunami. Tell me what I can do for you."  
  
Tsunami looked thoughtfully out the shimmering window. "Sasami is having a   
  
hard time adjusting to her new status as an adult. What she needs is a   
  
distraction." She smiled faintly. "I had hoped that Tenchi would be the one, but   
  
fate has something else in store for him, as you no doubt know."  
  
The queen nodded. Tenchi was currently staying at the royal palace with   
  
his two wives. They were gradually introducing him to the politics and   
  
government of Jurai. This was the main reason for Azusa's nighttime mutterings.   
  
No matter how hard any of them tried, he just could not seem to warm up to his   
  
great-grandson. Misaki suspected that he was just being stubborn but, of course,   
  
she was ever the optimist.  
  
"I have come to you tonight to select a champion for your daughter. I   
  
already have Tenchi, but he is going to be busy for quite a while with his new   
  
wives and she needs someone who will always be close by."  
  
"Um, Tsunami." Misaki questioned. "What does your having a champion have   
  
to do with Sasami?"  
  
Tsunami sighed, she had explained this to the queen, Sasami had explained   
  
this to the queen, as had Ayeka, Funaho, Yosho, and Tenchi. Even Washu had had a   
  
go at it. But it seemed that she still did not get the concept that her daughter   
  
and Tsunami were one and the same entity. She steeled herself and explained it   
  
to the queen, again.  
  
"Oh, my poor little princess," the queen wailed as Tsunami got to the part   
  
where Sasami fell, just as she always did.  
  
Tsunami kept talking until she reached the end of her tale. When she was   
  
done she asked Misaki, "Do you understand?"   
  
"Um, yeah. But what does Tenchi have to do with this again?" The queen's   
  
face shone with sincerity.  
  
Tsunami groaned, defeated. "He just does, Misaki."  
  
"Oh, all right then." She paused, "what is it that you want me to do?"   
  
"I need you to pull up your computer files on all the men in the empire, I   
  
want to look through them." The goddess said.  
  
"Okay that's easy." The queen said brightly.  
  
"Thank god." Tsunami muttered, then laughed softly.  
  
Misaki walked over to the blank wall on the left side of the room and   
  
touched it. Light began to emanate from a formerly blank patch on the wall,   
  
Jurai characters blinked on. "Silent mode." Misaki told it. "User, Queen Misaki   
  
36 beta 2 4 1, password, 'So long, and thanks for all the fish'." The computer   
  
blinked in acknowledgement. Her eyes glued to the computer screen the queen   
  
said, "I'll start with my own troops, they are the best of the lot." Tsunami   
  
nodded. "Computer, personnel files, Jurai Royal Elite Guards." Names and   
  
pictures began to scroll down the wall. After a few seconds Misaki stopped it.   
  
"I assume you want someone young?" The goddess nodded again. "Age limit less   
  
than or equal to, 300." The computer started scrolling again, this time more   
  
slowly. "Pause." Misaki turned to the goddess, who stepped forward to get a   
  
better look at the screen.   
  
"These are my top ten guards," the queen told her, "Loyal, chivalrous,   
  
best marks in the academy."  
  
Tsunami pointed a delicate finger at the first knight on the screen.   
  
"Could you show me a detailed description of that one?" She questioned.  
  
"Of, course." Misaki turned again to the screen and tapped on the man's   
  
picture.   
  
He had long red hair and golden eyes, his face reflected kindness and   
  
gentility in its heart shape and gentle curves. "Royal Elite Guard number 01392,   
  
graduated top of his class. Expert in both hand to hand and weapons combat." The   
  
queen paused, looking at Tsunami. "I remember that they said he was the best to   
  
come through the academy since Yosho." She turned back to the interface and   
  
continued reading. "Shows limited ability with the light hawk wings. Has led   
  
forces in three suppressions of coups across the empire, and quite well too,   
  
nearly no bloodshed." She peered closely at the screen. "He is currently serving   
  
as patrol duty in sector 453-122 with his ship the Ryu-tai."  
  
Tsunami leaned back, crossing her arms. "Could you show me his lineage?"  
  
Misaki nodded and tapped the screen again. She started to read it, but   
  
Tsunami waved her to silence, her eyes quickly scanning over the list of names.   
  
"Yes, I think this one will do quite nicely." She finally said, satisfied.   
  
"How soon can he be on Earth?"  
  
"A manner of days, My Lady." Misaki told her.  
  
"Good," Tsunami said. "Tell him that with the incidents with Dr. Clay and   
  
Kagato, you have decided that the princess needs her own guardian."  
  
"I will, Tsunami." Misaki bowed slightly.  
  
The light that had filled the room during this discussion grew fainter and   
  
seemed to absorb back into the form of the goddess, until she was merely the   
  
form of a woman etched in blue light. Then she was gone and the now darkened   
  
chamber rang with the chime of a tiny bell-like sound.  
  
Misaki stood for a few moments looking at the spot that the goddess had so   
  
recently occupied, and then she turned back to the bed and the two, still   
  
sleeping, figures.   
  
She trotted over and shook the lump that was Funaho. "Sister, sister, wake   
  
up." Funaho murmured sleepily, something that vaguely sounded like 'go away'.   
  
"Sister." Misaki hissed, and then pulled back the covers that the queen had   
  
pulled up around her ears. She pinched the sleeping woman's nose. Funaho   
  
sputtered and thrashed around, then she opened one eye and fixed her sister-  
  
queen with a venomous, cycloptic, stare.  
  
"It is the middle of the night, Misaki, what do you want?" Her brown eye   
  
narrowed even further as she stared out from among her comfortable nest of   
  
pillows.  
  
"I just had a visitation." Misaki told her proudly.  
  
"Now, Misaki," Funaho yawned hugely, "Remember what I told you about the   
  
differences between sleeping and awake."  
  
Misaki scowled. "It wasn't a dream, sister." She sat down beside the   
  
sleepy queen and smiled broadly. "Tsunami came to see me. She was looking for a   
  
guardian for Sasami."  
  
Funaho sat up. "Oh?" She stared off into the recesses of their darkened   
  
chamber.  
  
"Yep, and we found one too. Tsunami just stole my best knight." She looked   
  
thoughtful, "I'm glad Sasami will get him, though."  
  
"You mean...?" Funaho asked incredulously.  
  
"Yes, Sasami's guardian will be Kamidake." Misaki yawned. "I think I'm   
  
going to go back to sleep, Goodnight Funaho."  
  
"Goodnight, dear." Funaho said absently. She heard Misaki as she got on   
  
the other side of the bed and arranged the covers to her liking. The First Queen   
  
of Jurai, director of information of the Jurai royal council, stared at the   
  
ceiling long after Misaki began to snore.  
  
Sector 453-122 of the empire of Jurai  
  
Sir Kamidake was bored, really, really bored; there were no battles to be   
  
fought, no wars to be won, no one needed his protection. Kamidake was a man who   
  
loved his work; he loved to be in on the action. Above all he loved his empire.   
  
Since the time that he was a young boy, he would beg his grandmother to   
  
take him to the practice grounds to watch the knights train. He could watch them   
  
for hours, learning their moves, admiring their deft handling of their weapons.   
  
Most of all he watched his grandfather and his father, thrilled each time they   
  
stopped for a moment to give him a wave and a smile across the green grass. And   
  
he knew, even from when he was a toddler, that that was what he wanted to be, a   
  
knight. He had started training himself from a young age, sparring with saplings   
  
and the other boys from his school. He soon outstripped all of them, much to the   
  
delight of his grandfather and father. They would tell him stories of battles   
  
and glories, and he would listen, his eyes wide, hanging on every word. One day,   
  
they told him that they were going away; there was a war on another planet in a   
  
small galaxy not too far from Jurai. His grandfather never came back. His father   
  
was still a knight through and through but there were times when he would tell   
  
the boy of the things he had left out of the stories. His eyes haunted, he would   
  
tell about the dying, the cries of agony of the wounded, and the horrors of the   
  
battlefield. Young Kamidake would listen seriously to the gruesome tales, then,   
  
when he was alone, he would ponder what he could do to make it different. How he   
  
could avoid the horrors his father spoke of.   
  
He would talk of these thoughts with his grandmother, and she would   
  
listen, with tears in her golden eyes, of the big dreams of a little boy. Then   
  
she would hold him close and tell him that if anyone could do it, he could. He   
  
would hug her back and wipe the tears off her face. "Don't cry grandma." He   
  
whispered; his eyes locked on the starry universe spread before him. He had   
  
vowed to be the best knight ever, to serve his king faithfully, just as his   
  
family had done for many, many generations.  
  
The knight tried to keep his thoughts on the stars before him. When it was   
  
quiet and the only sounds were those of his own heart and the rustle of Ryu-  
  
tai's branches, he found himself drawn back to his childhood, the innocence of   
  
youth. It was difficult to keep and hard to let go of. He sighed, and leaned   
  
back in his chair. "Ryu-tai, any activity?" The silence was negative. He sighed   
  
again and looked up at the dome of his ship. Ryu-tai had been in his family for   
  
many generations, a gift from the king of Jurai for a service rendered by one of   
  
his ancestors. It was now passed on to him; his father retired when Kamidake   
  
graduated from the academy and had given the bonding of the royal tree over to   
  
him. He stood up, walked over and placed a hand affectionately on her silvery   
  
trunk. "Well, I guess we're in for some more peace and quiet, old girl." Ryu-tai   
  
responded by pinging a few tiny beams of light off of the water that surrounded   
  
her.   
  
He took up his key, which was a large, twisting staff with a red jewel   
  
imbedded in the end, and toyed with it as he paced around the main deck of his   
  
ship. He wasn't sure why he was patrolling this remote sector instead of the   
  
areas of main activity. The knight sighed and flopped into his chair, idly   
  
twirling the staff between his fingers.   
  
Suddenly an alarm bell went off and a large view-screen popped up directly   
  
in front of him, 'urgent message' it flashed. The knight hurriedly stood up and   
  
straightened his uniform. "Play message." He told the ship. It was queen Misaki   
  
herself, no less. He stood straighter and saluted. "My queen."  
  
"Hiya, Kamidake." The queen exclaimed perkily. The queen was always perky.   
  
"How goes the patrol?"  
  
"Quiet, your majesty." Kamidake said smartly.  
  
"Good, good." The queen paused for a moment. "The reason that I am calling   
  
is that you are to be given a new assignment." She grinned. "Given recent events   
  
that have taken place on planet earth in the Sol system, you are to be given the   
  
assignment of assuming personal protection of the princess Sasami."  
  
"Yes, your majesty." Kamidake said.  
  
"You are to proceed to your new station with all possible haste." She   
  
tapped a few buttons on her side of the screen. "Here are the coordinates."   
  
The coordinates appeared on the screen. "Ryu-tai set new heading." Kamidake   
  
commanded.  
  
"All right then, have a good trip. Tell Sasami her mommy says hi." The   
  
queen waved cheerfully at the screen. "Bye, now." The screen disappeared.  
  
"What have I done?" Kamidake mused aloud. "First, patrol, now guard duty.   
  
It just isn't my year." He had no idea.  
  
...  
  
Sasami woke from a troubled sleep, full of shadowy images and half formed   
  
nightmares. Outside the window of her room the sun was just beginning to rise,   
  
although it was difficult to tell, it seemed that with its arrival the clouds   
  
that stained the sky just turned imperceptibly lighter. Sasami stretched,   
  
shaking off the last vestiges of sleep, and sat up on her futon. She looked   
  
around the room. It seemed so much emptier, now that Ayeka was gone. She had   
  
moved out right after the wedding and into, of course, Tenchi's room. But she   
  
was at least where Sasami could find her and talk to her. Now that she, Tenchi,   
  
and Ryoko had gone to Jurai for an extended visit, the house just seemed so   
  
empty. Of course, there was Ryo-Ohki and Grandfather, Noboyuki, and Washu, but   
  
it wasn't exactly the same. Mihoshi had also been gone for some time, she had   
  
been summoned to the headquarters of Jurai to make a report in person, at the   
  
request of her own grandfather, the grand marshal of the galaxy police force.   
  
Sasami had opted to stay behind, Noboyuki had contracted a cold right before his   
  
son left, and Sasami had stayed to take care of him. They all knew that it was   
  
an excuse, though. Washu could have easily and quickly fixed him up, but they   
  
had accepted Sasami's decision.   
  
Sasami had various reasons for wanting to stay behind. First and foremost   
  
was her mother's desire to marry her off to some Jurai noble or another, second   
  
was her mother herself, she just didn't feel up to visiting her in her present   
  
mood, and finally, she didn't want Noboyuki to be lonely, the princess was   
  
tender-hearted like that. The princess rose, and as she was dressing, Ryo-Ohki   
  
entered through the door, she had disappeared at some point during the night.  
  
"Good morning, Ryo-Ohki." She told the little cabbit-girl cheerfully. Ryo-  
  
Ohki usually was able to cheer the princess up.  
  
"Miya." Ryo-Ohki said, running up and wrapping her arms around the   
  
princess' waist.   
  
Sasami laughed and smoothed the girl's hair. She reached down and took her   
  
hand, "Come on, let's go make breakfast." She led the girl down the stairs and   
  
into the kitchen. Sometime later, when the remaining members of her unusual   
  
family were polishing off their breakfast, Sasami had an unusual chat with her   
  
brother, Yosho.  
  
"Sasami," He asked over his miso soup, "have you heard from your mother   
  
lately?"  
  
Sasami shook her head negatively.   
  
"Ah," He said, and that was all he said.   
  
Unbeknownst to Sasami, Yosho had received a message the night before.   
  
Apparently his mother, after an extended period of ceiling watching, had   
  
decided that her son needed to know what had transpired between Misaki and the   
  
goddess. She had told him that they would be getting a new addition to the   
  
household. After filling him in on the details, she had asked what he thought of   
  
it, he had replied. "I think our little goddess is up to something." After she   
  
had indicated her agreement, he had told her that they would just wait and see   
  
what Tsunami had in mind. Assuring her that he would keep in contact, they broke   
  
off the transmission. Two people that night, several thousand light years away   
  
from each other, had both taken up ceiling watching.  
  
Yosho nodded to himself. So, Misaki had neglected to inform the princess   
  
of her new acquisition. This should be interesting, things had been a little   
  
placid recently. His teacup hid his smile as he sipped Sasami's wonderful brew.  
  
Ryo-Ohki tagged along with Sasami as the princess went out into the   
  
blustery morning to visit the guardians, Azaka and Kamidake, and to retrieve the   
  
mail that the 42nd new postal carrier in two months had delivered. "You really   
  
need to stop scaring them," she told the guardians as Azaka dispensed the mail   
  
to her outstretched hand.  
  
"I assure you that it is not intentional, your highness," Azaka said in   
  
his deep voice.  
  
"We merely try to be friendly." Kamidake added.  
  
Sasami laughed helplessly, talking logs were just not on par with the dogs   
  
that postal workers generally had to deal with. Sasami was not sure why they had   
  
remained behind when Ayeka had left, but she suspected that her sister had given   
  
them instructions to watch after her. She smiled and laid an affectionate hand   
  
on Azaka's smooth bore, then walked over and did the same to Kamidake. "You two   
  
are hopeless." The logs somehow managed to look bewildered. As she turned back   
  
to walk down the smoothly worn path to the house, she heard a soft footstep   
  
behind her, and swung around.   
  
"Who goes there?" Kamidake demanded.  
  
It had not taken Sir Kamidake long to arrive at his destination. He   
  
touched his ship down in a secluded location somewhere in the mountains near a   
  
tranquil waterfall; he figured Ryu-tai would like that until he found where he   
  
could dock her. He took his time walking towards the house that he had seen on   
  
his screen. He breathed in the sweetly scented air of the planet known as earth   
  
and, looking around at the turning leaves and the hardy flowers of the autumnal   
  
season, decided that this was indeed a beautiful planet. The wind tore at his   
  
clothing as he walked, ripping the leaves off of the trees lining the path that   
  
he had taken and scattering them across the ground. Even though the sky was a   
  
hazy gray, he still could feel the warmth of the sun on his ruby hair. He slowed   
  
his footsteps as he approached the house, through the trees he could now see the   
  
occasional glint of windows and a large lake. He approached what he imagined was   
  
the front entry of the house for he could now make out two large pillars at the   
  
edges of the fence. They looked like guardians. He got closer to the edge of the   
  
trees and stopped, feeling the sudden pain that gripped his chest. They were   
  
guardians, the two originals, Kamidake, his namesake, and Azaka. It was the   
  
sight of Azaka that caused him such agony. Azaka was his grandfather, named   
  
after the guardians, just as he was the latest in a long line of those who had   
  
carried on the tradition. He could feel the memories welling up at the sight of   
  
the progeny of his great-great-great grandmother. He could once again feel his   
  
grandfather's strong hands gripping his own as he corrected the boy's hold on   
  
his bokken. He could see the intense blue of his gaze when Kamidake had made him   
  
especially proud, the twinkle in his eyes, the smile on his face. Kamidake was   
  
assaulted by his past. He struggled against the sudden feeling that his   
  
grandfather was still alive, that one day he would come back and tell his   
  
grandson how proud he had made him. Kamidake gasped brokenly. He could feel the   
  
tears welling up in his eyes, all from the sight of the guardian.  
  
As he struggled to regain his composure, he noticed that a slight figure   
  
had emerged from the house, followed by an even slighter one. He watched them as   
  
they approached the source of his pain. One was a girl; probably eighteen, and   
  
her hair flowed like the waterfall in the valley where he had left Ryu-tai, a   
  
cascade of silken turquoise. As she drew closer Kamidake was able to make out   
  
her features more clearly, her pale flawless skin, and pink eyes, just like her   
  
mother's. The smaller figure was also a girl but younger, perhaps twelve, with   
  
somewhat spiky brown hair crowning her head and shorter fur covering her body.   
  
She had large golden eyes and was wearing a pink dress covered in carrots. 'That   
  
must be Ryo-Ohki,' he thought, recalling the description in his files.  
  
The two girls approached the guardians at the gate and stood talking to   
  
them for a few moments, obviously about happy things, he surmised from the   
  
laughter that floated back to him. It was beautiful and silvery, like the   
  
chiming of a chorus of tiny bells. The knight stood frozen for a few moments   
  
until, seeing that the princess was about to return to the house, he shook   
  
himself out of his reverie and approached, walking softly across the gravel. The   
  
princess must have had very keen senses, for she heard him approach even before   
  
the guardians had time to react and twirled to face him. Kamidake (the log)   
  
hailed him as he stood there in stunned reverence. He ignored his namesake as he   
  
saw his charge close up for the first time. He had seen pictures of her before,   
  
but there was no comparison between seeing the wavy holographic images and the   
  
real thing now standing before him. He fell instantly and irrevocably in love   
  
with her.   
  
Sasami regarded the man closely, taking in the loose tunic and pants that   
  
were caught closely at the knee. His rich red hair was braided back from his   
  
face in a rather intricate way. Over the loose tunic the man wore a long   
  
embroidered vest of bright colors, and in his hand he held a staff embedded with   
  
a red jewel at its end. He was Jurian, she knew instantly, probably one of her   
  
mother's elite guards. She stiffened slightly, her mother didn't think she could   
  
take care of herself, that was also obvious.  
  
"What is your name, soldier?" She asked abruptly.   
  
The man seemed startled, his eyes filled with chagrin. He dropped down on   
  
one knee in the dust before her, his eyes on the ground, his key thrust out at   
  
an angle before him. "I am Sir Kamidake, your highness. I was sent to take over   
  
the task of your personal protection."   
  
At the mention of the knight's name, Sasami turned to the guardian who   
  
shared it. The log also turned slightly to look at her.  
  
"Kamidake?" The princess asked. "How odd."  
  
The knight looked up at her, his golden eyes respectful but also, somehow,   
  
she could see the sadness lurking in their amber depths. "Not really, your   
  
highness. My grandmother, several generations removed, created the two guardians   
  
that stand before us. She named them after her two sons, Azaka and Kamidake. We   
  
have held to the tradition of naming each in the order of his birth, my father   
  
is Azaka, my uncle Kamidake."  
  
"Rise, sir knight," the princess smiled, "you're going to get your clothes   
  
dirty."  
  
Kamidake rose gracefully, with the trained skill of one who was raised in   
  
court.   
  
Upon standing he found that he had to look down at her, she was really not   
  
very tall with her eyes only level with his chin, but the sheer force of her   
  
presence made her seem taller. He smiled slightly, even had he not been ordered   
  
to, he would have gladly protected this princess with his life.  
  
The princess seemed distracted as she gave a few words of farewell to the   
  
two guardians, and then walked off towards the house, pulling a staring Ryo-Ohki   
  
behind her.   
  
Kamidake hesitated a startled instance and then started after her. She   
  
entered the house and stopped briefly to remove her shoes, Kamidake did   
  
likewise.   
  
"Grandfather!" the princess called, a note of iron in her voice. Ryo-Ohki   
  
prudently disappeared at that point.  
  
Another voice called faintly from another section of the house. "In here,   
  
Sasami."  
  
Kamidake trailed after the purposeful little princess as she started in   
  
the direction of the voice, looking around him at the interior of the structure.   
  
It was well built, but seemed a bit rustic, somewhat like the cabin his family   
  
had in the low hills of Jurai. But the lovely thing about the house was the   
  
light, windows were everywhere, spilling in and somehow amplifying the wan   
  
radiance from the muted sun. He followed as she led him into what appeared to be   
  
the common room, with a wall filled with more floor to ceiling windows   
  
overlooking the glassy lake he had seen earlier. Also in the room was a small   
  
dining area, at which sat an elderly gentleman reading a newspaper and   
  
thoughtfully sipping a cup of fragrant tea. Kamidake was staggered at the amount   
  
of power that he felt emanating from the man. Also there was an air of nobility   
  
that surrounded him like an aura, as well as a tinge of humor. Kamidake felt   
  
that he was looking at a mighty knight, the likes of which he had rarely met   
  
before. Being a man of likeable nature, Kamidake liked him.   
  
Yosho looked up over his paper, seeing the man that his mother had   
  
identified as Kamidake for the first time. He seemed to be a good sort, noble   
  
and all. He reminded him of Azaka, Kamidake's father, and his grandfather as   
  
well, who was also named Azaka.   
  
They had all been good friends and allies. He hoped that his initial   
  
assumption about this man was correct. There was no one he trusted more than A1   
  
and A2, as he had nicknamed them. The prince set down his teacup and paper and   
  
rose gracefully, also as one who had been raised at court. He walked over to the   
  
stunned young knight and took his hand in a firm grip. "Kamidake, it is nice to   
  
meet you, my boy. I knew your grandfather, and your father well." He said   
  
heartily.   
  
Kamidake returned the handshake, 'He knows father and grandfather?' he   
  
thought.   
  
Sasami, meanwhile, was watching the exchange through narrowed pink eyes.   
  
This confirmed her suspicions. "You knew!" She addressed the old man, "You knew   
  
what my mother was doing and you didn't tell me."  
  
Yosho sheepishly scratched the back of his head.   
  
"Brother!" She told him in exasperation, and then retreated into the   
  
kitchen.  
  
Kamidake looked at the old man, wondering if his face was going to settle   
  
into a permanent expression of wonderment. "Prince Yosho?"  
  
Yosho continued looking sheepish.  
  
Sasami was chopping furiously, which reflected the way she was feeling. It   
  
seemed that everyone was trying to make her seem foolish, and she didn't like   
  
that one bit. She sighed heavily as she moved from the cutting board to the   
  
stovetop to test the progress of the meal she was preparing. She sipped the   
  
simmering soup after blowing on it to cool it. Almost done. She picked up her   
  
hot pads and slipped them on, then carefully moved the pot to the back burner.   
  
After she set it down and covered it, she turned to go back to her chopping,   
  
only to find that the job had been taken over. Kamidake stood, his back to her,   
  
now dressed in clothing that she recognized as belonging to her brother,   
  
chopping busily at the carrots that she had been preparing for Ryo-Ohki.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked.  
  
Kamidake carefully set the knife down on the counter and turned to face   
  
her, his face stoic. Sasami couldn't help herself as she burst into delighted   
  
laughter.  
  
"It was the only one I could find." Kamidake said. He was wearing one of   
  
Sasami's aprons, which wouldn't have been bad in and of itself, unfortunately   
  
the one he had found was pink, with little cabbits and carrots chasing their way   
  
across it, it was also way too small.  
  
Sasami clasped one hand across her mouth in an effort to contain her   
  
giggles, the other was clutched about her middle. She couldn't remember the last   
  
time she had laughed so hard. Eventually she recovered herself, and, still   
  
chuckling, opened a cabinet and retrieved one of Noboyuki's aprons. She tossed   
  
it to him and he removed the pink apron and handed it to her, then put on the   
  
plain one. "Thank you, your highness." He said, bowing slightly.  
  
She made a gesture of dismissal, and then turned back to her cooking,   
  
listening as he retrieved the knife and began chopping again.  
  
Kamidake followed the princess around for the rest of the day, much to her   
  
obvious dismay. She thought that he thought she couldn't do anything herself. It   
  
seemed that every time she turned around, he was there, taking the wash from her   
  
and hanging it up, carefully pulling up the carrots that made up the little   
  
cabbit's diet, his golden eyes respectful and his face calm.   
  
Kamidake followed her in order to get a feel for her schedule and her habits; it   
  
seemed to him that she spent an inordinate amount of time cooking. In between   
  
mealtimes she did the wash, harvested the carrots, and still had time to play   
  
with Ryo-Ohki, who followed her everywhere as well. After a few days, this would   
  
no longer be necessary and he could give her some space, but until then.   
  
As the sun was setting over the western hills, painting everything with   
  
golden light, they sat at the dinner table, eating one of her fabulous meals.   
  
Kamidake's mouth watered with the aromas and the taste, a rare treat for those   
  
whose taste buds were used to soldiers rations. Her looked out the window as he   
  
ate, watching the sun set on this planet, so beautiful, with the last rays of   
  
sunlight painting over the trees, mountains, and lake.   
  
'This might not be as bad as I thought' he mused silently. His head was   
  
snapped around as he heard the sound of a door opening. He saw the broom closet?   
  
door had opened and a yawning young girl, perhaps twelve, emerged. She wore an   
  
ancient science academy uniform, and her pink hair was styled in such a way to   
  
remind him of a crab, for some reason. 'Washu' he thought, 'Well, that's about   
  
everyone.'  
  
Washu strolled over and plunked herself down at the table beside Noboyuki.   
  
"Good morning everyone." She said.  
  
Sasami looked a little confused. "Washu, it's past sunset."  
  
Washu's eyes narrowed as she looked uncomprehendingly out the window.   
  
"Hmm, well it is isn't it? Guess I got my days and nights turned around.   
  
That's easy enough to fix. You see, what happened was..." She was about to go   
  
off on some long-winded explanation when she noticed that someone new was seated   
  
at the dining table.   
  
"Hello, I'm little Washu." She said cutely.   
  
Kamidake bowed slightly, "It is a pleasure to meet an esteemed genius such   
  
as yourself, little Washu." He straightened, "I am Kamidake, Sasami's new   
  
guard."  
  
Washu was extremely pleased, not only did he call her little Washu with no   
  
prompting, a rarity, he also recognized her scientific genius. She smiled   
  
hugely. "I like you. Would you like to be a guinea pig for my experiments?"  
  
"Uh," Kamidake searched frantically for a polite way to refuse. "I think   
  
I'm going to be busy for a while, little Washu."  
  
"I can wait." Washu said firmly. Sasami sighed and Washu looked at her   
  
sharply, then back at the knight, who was pointedly not looking back. She   
  
finally shrugged and began to eat.  
  
During the meal they made polite conversation, varying on topics from the   
  
weather to inter-stellar politics. Kamidake joined in on the conversations most   
  
heartily, commenting on the beauty of the planet and such. He made it a point to   
  
ask Washu, whom he assumed arranged such things, where he could dock Ryu-tai.  
  
"Ah, I can make a sub-space pocket for her," Washu replied, "A simple   
  
matter really. I will do it first thing tomorrow."  
  
"So, you have Ryu-tai now." Yosho commented, "She is a beautiful ship."  
  
Kamidake grinned. "Yes, she is."  
  
"And how is your family?" Yosho asked. "It has been a very long time since   
  
I have seen anyone from Jurai, aside from my family." He nodded at Sasami, who   
  
smiled at him.  
  
Kamidake swallowed, "My father and grandmother are well."  
  
Yosho looked concerned at the omission, "And your grandfather, Azaka?"   
  
Yosho noticed the look of pain that crossed over Kamidake's face and immediately   
  
wished that he had not asked. "Perhaps this is better not discussed at the   
  
dinner table." He said hastily. Kamidake nodded in relief. "But perhaps you   
  
would talk to me about it later." He added. The knight nodded his head in   
  
agreement.  
  
Later, after the supper table was cleared and Kamidake washed the dishes,   
  
Washu retreated into her lab muttering something about a timed experiment,   
  
Noboyuki went up to his room, presumably to work on his latest project, and   
  
Sasami was curled up on the couch watching a television program, Kamidake   
  
joined Yosho on the deck of the house.  
  
Kamidake settled down next to the prince, who was looking reflectively out   
  
at the lake. They sat there for a few long moments in silence.   
  
"My grandfather," Kamidake said finally. "Was a good man, a great warrior,   
  
as I am sure you know." Yosho nodded, not taking his eyes off of the night   
  
before him. "When I was young, perhaps six years old, a war broke out on the   
  
planet Kabairo. My father and grandfather were the first into the fray. They   
  
were located where the battle was the thickest, and somehow, they were   
  
separated. When the battle was over my father went to look for grandfather, but   
  
he never found him. He did find his key though, and..." He trailed off.  
  
"He would never have surrendered it, or left it. Unless he was killed."   
  
Yosho said. Kamidake nodded. "Yes, your grandfather was a good man, and a great   
  
warrior."   
  
If either of the men had looked behind them, they would have seen a small,   
  
blue-haired shadow slip back into the house.  
  
Deep in space dimensions collide, the improbable and the inevitable mix. A   
  
twist of space and time resides in a place of impossible reality. If some lost   
  
soul were to stumble across it, which no one ever does, they would rub their   
  
eyes and wonder what in the universe they ate for supper, then gladly travel on.   
  
The door to the goddess. A trail of her toys, the amusement of an immortal soul,   
  
scattered along the path. Planets and odd architecture, all brought into an   
  
impossible place. If one were to follow that path, which has known the passage   
  
of a few unfortunate souls, they would come to a place where the fabric of the   
  
universe had worn thin. The home of a goddess.   
  
She had been staring at the image for a very long time, but a moment in   
  
her infinite life, ten years to be fairly exact. Not a very interesting image,   
  
but very, very, important to her and to her plans. The goddess, who was as   
  
impossible to existence as the place that surrounded her, was pensive. Her   
  
costume flew back in the non-existent wind, her cold rainbow eyes fastened on   
  
the object of her examination. The image was of a young man with spiked hair,   
  
standing, his arms folded, seeming to stare back up at the goddess defiantly. He   
  
was backed by an image of five ethereally white wings. The goddess stirred.   
  
Immediately a large face, his hair and beard purely white and a red gem in the   
  
middle of his forehead, appeared.   
  
"My Lady Tokimi." He said respectfully.   
  
The goddess did not deign to look down at him. "What is it about this   
  
boy?" She murmured. "D3, have you had any success in contacting my sister,   
  
Washu?"  
  
"No My Lady. She has some force blocking our efforts." D3 was not very   
  
pleased about having to report this.  
  
"I am not pleased, D3" The goddess pulled her eyes off of the image before   
  
her, and stared into space, her face immobile. "If I cannot speak with her I   
  
shall have to speak with Tsunami." She looked back down at the image. "This is   
  
her doing, I know it. D3, summon Ryoushi." One of the shadows that flanked the   
  
goddess's throne room gave a shudder, then shrunk back in on itself. At the same   
  
time a figure started to appear on the dais that held the image of the man with   
  
the lighthawk wings. It was dark, cloaked in hooded robes, all unrelieved black.   
  
Its face was obscured until D3 gave a sharp command and the figure looked up. It   
  
was a face filled with undisguised contempt and loathing, though all you could   
  
see was an eye, a fierce, unrelenting blue gaze. The other eye was concealed   
  
with a patch, out from under which ran a wicked looking scar.  
  
"My lady summoned me." The man spoke with thinly veiled sarcasm.  
  
"Yes, Ryoushi." The goddess replied, unruffled. "I wish for you to do a   
  
task for me. I want you to bring me my sister. Dr. Clay was so good as to find   
  
her location for me, the only reason we didn't kill him."  
  
"As my lady commands." Ryoushi replied with a mocking bow.  
  
"Do not hurt her, however."  
  
"And if anyone tries to stop me?"  
  
"Use your own judgment. Any other does not matter, the boy is not with   
  
her."  
  
"Yes, my lady." With that, the huntsman vanished.   
  
"That man disturbs me." The goddess commented to D3. "He makes me think   
  
that I should sleep with a knife under my pillow. But he is the best."  
  
"You have a pillow, My Lady?" D3 asked.  
  
The goddess turned a cold eye upon her servant. "It was meant to be   
  
humorous."   
  
D3 saw his opening. He had been waiting eons and now his time had come.   
  
"It was very funny Lady Tokimi. I have a good one. Would you like me to share it   
  
with you?"  
  
"Proceed."  
  
The demi-god proceeded to tell a long and complicated joke involving a   
  
textile merchant, two weasels, a very confused frog and a large wooden badger.   
  
By the time he made it halfway through the masterpiece the floor was shaking as   
  
the very stones laughed, the entire fabric of the surrounding space convulsed   
  
and thrashed around as this, the Joke, unfolded. D3 used sheer artistry in his   
  
telling, sending shockwave ripples of hilarity through the universe. Every   
  
sentence and every word, contributed to the laughter quotient of the Joke. When   
  
he finally reached the punch line, the whole of time stopped, anticipating.   
  
"...And every time he sat down it croaked." The universe collapsed in   
  
helpless laughter, the planets wobbled in their orbits, the stars flickered in   
  
stattaco bursts, wars stopped as their participants were overcome with laughter.   
  
The force of the Joke spread in ripples of laughter throughout the universe,   
  
touching all corners.  
  
After the first effect of the Joke passed, D3 looked up at the Lady   
  
Tokimi. She had not moved, had not said one word. "My Lady?"  
  
Lady Tokimi was silent for a moment...a very long moment. Empires rose and fell   
  
while she contemplated the Joke. Of course, those empires where on a planet   
  
called Arrogantis, where a new empire rose and fell about every ten minutes.   
  
Finally the goddess turned her very unamused eyes on her suddenly cringing   
  
servant.   
  
"You're lucky I don't kill you."   
  
"Yes, Lady Tokimi."  
  
D3 phased quietly out, while Tokimi turned her attention back to the image   
  
she had contemplated for so long.  
  
About a week later, the shockwave of the Joke rippled through the Sol   
  
system.   
  
Sasami was in the kitchen with Ryo-Ohki, per usual. Yosho was meditating on the   
  
porch, while surreptitiously watching Kamidake practice a new sword technique.   
  
Noboyuki was at work, while Washu was holed up in her lab. Suddenly, it hit.   
  
Sasami collapsed on the floor holding her sides, as did Ryo-Ohki, who, in the   
  
shock, reverted to her cabbit form, laughing uproariously. Yosho fell off of the   
  
porch, and Kamidake dropped his sword as he fell on the ground laughing.   
  
Noboyuki's entire office shook with the combined laughter of everyone in the   
  
city. Washu was in her aquarium when all her aquatic creatures started going   
  
mad, and she only had time to take two steps before she, too felt the effect of   
  
the Joke. After the ripple passed, they all rushed to the living room. Once   
  
there they all stopped and looked at each other, shrugged, and went back to   
  
whatever they were doing before the Joke hit.  
  
For the past week, Kamidake had followed his charge around, and he now   
  
knew her usual schedule and habits by heart. This being so, he could now back   
  
off and give the harried little princess some space. However, he found that he   
  
still did it, albeit in moderation. This was because, in following Sasami   
  
around, he had become more and more enamored of the kind young woman he saw.  
  
Sasami had noted that her new guardian had toned down his vigil and was   
  
extremely grateful. There had been a few instances when she had been on the   
  
verge of screaming at him, which was totally unlike her. This usually happened   
  
when Kamidake, though nimble, was unable to get out of the way in time when she   
  
made sudden moves and she had walloped him unintentionally. These instances she   
  
was usually angry both with herself and with her knight, who looked sheepish and   
  
apologized profusely every time. She was angry with herself because, despite all   
  
her intentions of disliking him, she grew to like him more and more each day.   
  
There had been tests of her patience though, especially after one   
  
instance, which she still shuddered over when she thought about it. It had been   
  
a few days after the knight's arrival at the Masaki household, when the two of   
  
them were still feeling each other out. Sasami had joined her brother Yosho for   
  
a round of sake. He had become used to having Ayeka and Ryoko as drinking   
  
partners and was now quite lonely without them.   
  
The prince's first thought had been of Washu, but she was holed up in her   
  
lab, as usual. Noboyuki was pulling an all-nighter at work, saying something   
  
about a collapsing hrung. This really didn't explain much as no one, except   
  
possibly Washu, and as mentioned, she was in her lab, knew what a hrung was or   
  
why it was collapsing. He had asked Kamidake to join him but the knight had   
  
declined, claiming he needed to have his wits about him in order to be an   
  
effective guardian. So Sasami had volunteered.   
  
She had had a few drinks; she didn't really care for alcohol, in order to   
  
placate her brother. Then excused herself and went up to her room, a bit   
  
unsteadily, the sound of ancient Jurian drinking songs echoing in the darkened   
  
air of the hallway. In truth, Sasami had noticed a disapproving look on   
  
Kamidake's face as she had sipped her sake and she had drunken a bit more than   
  
she had planned in response to a somewhat childish urge to make him angry. She   
  
stumbled a bit as she went up the stairs and opened the door to her lonely room,   
  
hanging upon it for a while in an effort to quell the unusual rocking movement   
  
of the floorboards. She then went in and undressed slowly, binding her hair and   
  
slipping on her nightdress when she was done. She lay down on her bed and pulled   
  
the covers up close around her neck in an effort to keep out the chill of the   
  
autumn air coming in her open window. The princess fell asleep.  
  
A few hours later, when the moon was shining chill and bright through her   
  
window, she awoke. She lay staring blankly at the ceiling for a few moments,   
  
wondering what had woken her up. Then she knew, she had to go to the bathroom,   
  
urgently. Sasami tossed her covers off and jumped carefully out of bed, then   
  
quickly padded to the door.   
  
She pushed it open and rushed out, then tripped over something large and   
  
dark lying along the floor outside of her door. Sasami nearly fell right onto   
  
her face when two strong hands reached out and caught her, and she found herself   
  
staring at the floorboards, which were now about two inches away from her nose.  
  
"Your highness! Are you all right?" She was pulled to her feet and saw   
  
before her Kamidake's worried face peering out of the shadows.   
  
The princess gritted her teeth. "You...stay...right...here! Do not move."   
  
She started walking backwards down the hall, a warning finger pointed at   
  
the knight. She kept walking, more quickly now, until she reached the door of   
  
the women's bathroom, where she turned quickly and vanished inside. A few   
  
moments later the vastly relieved princess emerged, having gotten one thing over   
  
with she was prepared to deal with the other. She found Kamidake standing   
  
exactly where she had left him. She strode up to the man and stood in front of   
  
him, her hands placed on her hips, murder in her heart. "What exactly did you   
  
think you were doing?" She demanded.  
  
"Er...um...er...well I..." The knight stammered.  
  
"Are you saying that you do this every night?" The princess asked   
  
incredulously.  
  
"Well. I ...it's for your."   
  
"Don't give me that 'for my own safety' stuff. You have your own room sir,   
  
use it." She pointed imperiously down the hall at Tenchi's room, and the knight   
  
sheepishly retreated with a murmured, 'yes, ma'am'. She watched him until he had   
  
disappeared through the door, then finally turned and went back to bed.  
  
"What a queen she would have made!" Kamidake chuckled into the darkness of   
  
Tenchi's room.   
  
The two intervening weeks had progressed rather smoothly, Sasami was   
  
ashamed of her outburst and was careful to be nice to her protector. Kamidake   
  
spent the time watching Sasami and dodging Washu, who seemed to be everywhere,   
  
insisting that she needed a "sample" and the tone of voice and look on her face   
  
when she said it was enough to make the knight very, very cautious. Yosho   
  
usually watched them all with an amused look on his face.   
  
At dinner the night that the Joke had hit the Earth, Washu was eager to   
  
tell of her findings about the event. "It originated at one point, I am certain.   
  
Apparently the force was so titanic that it did not dissipate with the passage   
  
of time and distance. With that power, one could rule the universe." Everyone   
  
else just looked at her cautiously around his or her chopsticks. "If I knew when   
  
it hit Jurai, I could find the precise location using..." She continued along on   
  
that vein for a while.   
  
"I will be sure to ask mother about it the next time I speak to her."   
  
Yosho assured her.   
  
After dinner had been cleared away and the dished were washed and dried,   
  
Sasami decided that now would be a good time to visit the onsen and take a long   
  
relaxing bath. She left Ryo-Ohki snoozing on the couch and Washu badgering Yosho   
  
about contacting Funaho and went out to the lake, where the onsen hovered   
  
silently above the moon-drenched waters. She walked up to the teleport pad and   
  
was instantly transported to the haven. I was like a jungle paradise, with cold   
  
and warm rushing waterfalls and tranquil pools, greenery bloomed all around and   
  
the floorboards were as smooth as silk under her bare feet. For a few moments   
  
Sasami thought about the creator of the onsen, her own sister-in-law Ryoko. The   
  
instant Sasami had stepped inside the floating bath for the first time she had   
  
known that Ryoko was more than a pirate; she had the soul of one who had known   
  
no beauty in her life and craved it above almost anything else. She had loved   
  
her as a sister ever since that moment.   
  
Sasami breathed in the warm, moist air surrounding her and undressed.   
  
Wrapping a towel around herself, she moved over to one of the pools and sat down   
  
next to it, trailing her finger in the water, watching the ripples move through   
  
her reflection. She paused and lifted her hand, allowing the water to still. No,   
  
it was Tsunami's reflection now, the face of the goddess staring back at her.   
  
With a mournful sigh she shattered the reflection and stepped down into the   
  
pool.   
  
Kamidake had followed the princess outside and was standing looking at the   
  
onsen. Until now he had always used the small shower inside the Masaki house,   
  
and he had never seen the inside of the onsen. He did not like it. When Sasami   
  
was in the onsen he could not see or hear her, it made him nervous. He had a bad   
  
feeling this night and because of that, he decided to go up there as well and   
  
stay in the men's side of the structure. He walked slowly up to the pier and   
  
stood in the spot where Sasami had, he gulped as a feeling of vertigo overtook   
  
him and the next thing he knew, he was standing in the entry of the bathhouse.   
  
He looked around at the marvelous interior and regretted that he had not gone   
  
there before. After carefully examining the writing on the doors, he opened the   
  
one that led to the men's part of the bath and stepped in. Kamidake undressed   
  
quickly and wrapped a towel around his hips, then walked into a steaming pool.   
  
He closed his eyes as the warmth of the water enveloped him and settled down   
  
next to the edge, his arms propped along the deck.   
  
He was just relaxing when he heard a cry. 'Sasami!' he thought, as he   
  
quickly leapt out of the water and ran to the other side of the bath. At first   
  
he only saw Sasami, clutching her towel around herself and staring fearfully out   
  
at the shadows beneath the trees. Kamidake followed her gaze and saw...nothing,   
  
nothing but shadow. "Your highness." He called.   
  
She turned her eyes briefly upon him, terrified and wide, and then lifted   
  
a delicate arm to point into the shadows. "There...there's someone over there,   
  
Kamidake."   
  
Kamidake peered into the deep shadows, and thought he saw a snatch of   
  
movement. He twisted the ring on his finger and was immediately in his Jurai   
  
uniform, his key appeared in his hand. Not taking his eyes off of the shadows,   
  
he told Sasami, "Run, your highness. Run quickly to the house, your brother is   
  
there." Her startled pink eyes wide, she turned and waded out of the pool and,   
  
still clutching her towel, ran to the port and disappeared. When she had gone,   
  
Kamidake shouted, "Show yourself, coward!"  
  
A figure dislodged itself from the shadows. And Kamidake could immediately   
  
see why he had escaped his notice at first, the figure was draped all in   
  
unrelieved black, from his head to the tips of his boots, the only part that was   
  
not black was one, startling blue eye that peered out of the face of the shadow.   
  
"Leave now, and you will not be harmed, I am only after the girl." The deep   
  
voice issued from somewhere amidst the cloak.  
  
"Not a chance." Kamidake sneered, his golden eyes narrowed. "I am Sir   
  
Kamidake, knight of Jurai." He thought he saw the figure flinch. "And what is   
  
your name?"  
  
"I am...Ryoushi." The figure said. "And I will allow you to delay me no   
  
longer."   
  
With that the man turned and with a single word, the glass burst outward   
  
and he vanished. Kamidake cursed and leaped after him.  
  
Sasami ran the moment her feet hit the dock, she ran wildly towards the   
  
comforting lights of the house. Her feet slapped loudly on the board beneath her   
  
as she panted loudly with each step. She was almost there. Suddenly a shadow   
  
appeared before her. The princess slid to a stop and screamed, hoping someone   
  
would hear her.   
  
The shadow seemed to smile behind his veils. "No one will hear you," he   
  
said almost kindly, his eyes flicking back to the house. "My mistress, Lady   
  
Tokimi, wishes to speak to you, Lady Tsunami."  
  
Sasami gasped, Lady Tokimi, she had heard that name before, she knew who   
  
that was. She also knew she definitely did not want to see her. "No!" she cried,   
  
turned and sped off into the night.  
  
"How quickly she runs." The shadow murmured in appreciation, then started   
  
after her.  
  
Kamidake arrived a moment later and burst into the house, no one was   
  
there.   
  
"Princess Sasami! Yosho? Washu? Anyone." No one answered. Almost   
  
panicking, Kamidake ran back outside and scanned the ground. "That way." He   
  
muttered to himself. And raced off in the direction that Sasami and Ryoushi had   
  
taken.   
  
Sasami ran until her legs were shaking and she could not run another foot.   
  
She collapsed to the ground, in the middle of a field, the dewy grass bathed in   
  
the light of the moon, trying to catch her breath. A moment later she heard a   
  
voice.  
  
"You led me on a merry chase, Lady Tsunami." She looked up, her face pale   
  
and scared in the moonlight, her hair wild and tangled, still clad only in her   
  
pink towel.   
  
"I'm Sasami." She gasped, looking wildly around for help.  
  
The man chuckled "I know who you are." He offered her a hand to help her   
  
stand and she recoiled.   
  
"Why don't you leave me alone!" she cried.  
  
"I can't do that, Lady Tsunami," He seemed to grimace behind his veils. "I   
  
have my orders." His hand was still outstretched, and the princess tried to   
  
scramble away. "I would rather not have to force you," The man of shadow said   
  
gravely.   
  
Kamidake ran through the forest, his eyes locked upon the trail beneath   
  
him. He stopped suddenly. Voices. He began to run again. Sasami's back was   
  
turned to him as he ran into the moonlight, but he could see her turquoise hair   
  
lying along the ground behind her. " Princess Sasami!" He bellowed.  
  
Ryoushi turned to look at him, then turned his single blue eye back down   
  
at the princess. "I have orders not to hurt you, but that does not stand for   
  
anyone else."  
  
"No, don't hurt him." Sasami said desperately. "Kamidake, stay back!"   
  
But the knight didn't hear her; he was too intent on the man threatening   
  
his princess. He barreled past her and slammed into Ryoushi. The two men   
  
grappled on the ground, each trying to gain the upper hand, Kamidake fought with   
  
fury, but the other man stayed calm. They both struggled up and tried to bring   
  
their weapons into play. Kamidake swung his key at the man, which was deflected,   
  
but barely. It caught at the material of the man's veil and it was ripped off.   
  
Kamidake stopped, for an instant, for a heartbeat, "Grandfather." He whispered.   
  
Sasami did not hear this whisper, neither did the man who was once Azaka and he   
  
took advantage of Kamidake's momentary hesitation. His silver blade came   
  
whistling in and caught the knight across the side, biting deep.   
  
All was silent. Kamidake stopped and placed a shaking hand on the wound.   
  
He spun about slowly to face Sasami. "Your highness, I have failed you." Sasami   
  
stared up at her knight, his uniform drenched in blood, his golden eyes glowing   
  
as he looked at her, his hair flowing down his back, the red glistening in the   
  
moonlight. Then he stiffened, and then he fell, a crumpled heap beneath the   
  
moonlight.  
  
Sasami stared at him for a long moment, her eyes burning with tears.   
  
"NOOO!" She wailed, as a feeling of despair welled up from the bottom of her   
  
soul. "No!" She scrambled forward and clutched him to her. She rocked him for a   
  
while, weeping uncontrollably.   
  
"I am sorry, Lady Tsunami. It was necessary." Ryoushi said from the   
  
shadows behind her.  
  
Sasami grew still, and she clutched Kamidake to her for another long   
  
moment then gently laid him on the ground. She smoothed his hair and then picked   
  
up his key and laid it against his chest. Her eyes shadowed, she stood, her face   
  
streaked with the tracks of her tears. She could feel rage, boiling up, and   
  
power, immense incredible power. She turned to face Ryoushi, her eyes still   
  
fixed on the ground. She felt as though the universe were collapsing around her.   
  
She looked up at the man before her, who was staring at the form of Kamidake   
  
with self-loathing. He turned to her, to see her rose-colored eyes blazing with   
  
a power she had never felt before. A glow started to form around her, like a   
  
soft blue haze, and her towel disappeared, replaced with flowing ceremonial   
  
robes of Jurai. There was an infinite wisdom in her depthless eyes.  
  
"You cannot go unpunished," Sasami said sadly, her voice strong and   
  
melodious. "I wish that it had not come to this, but I see that there is not a   
  
choice." She raised her delicate arm and pointed at the man. The soft blue light   
  
that surrounded her began to coalesce at the tip of her finger, forming a ball   
  
of light. She opened her hand and the light flew to Ryoushi, touching his chest   
  
gently. He stood there with what looked like a grateful smile on his face, and   
  
then almost in an identical way as his grandson, he fell.   
  
Sasami wept for the second time that night.   
  
"Your highness." Came a voice behind her, a familiar voice. Kamidake was   
  
struggling up, his hand clutched to his side, trying to reach her.   
  
Sasami rushed to him. She could see that his wound was causing him much   
  
pain, and she could heal him, but there was something that would hurt even more   
  
if it were left undone. She supported him and they made their way over to where   
  
Azaka lay.   
  
"He will not remain much longer." She said sadly.  
  
She let Kamidake back down gently, and knelt beside him, then held her   
  
hands over Azaka's chest. "Azaka, my child, it is time to say farewell." The   
  
hazy mist that had remained on Azaka's chest began to spread and became the form   
  
of a man, strong and vital, in a Jurian uniform.   
  
"Grandfather." Kamidake cried, and tried to reach out to him.   
  
"No, Kamidake," the spirit of Azaka said. "I was not your grandfather."  
  
"What do you mean?" The knight asked, as tears ran down his face.  
  
"Do you remember, that war on Kabairo?" Kamidake nodded. "Well, when I was   
  
separated from your father, I found myself overmatched and was cut down quickly.   
  
I lay there, dying, on the battlefield, when a woman approached. She healed me   
  
and took me away, only after making sure I left my key on the field." The shade   
  
of Azaka shuddered.   
  
"She possessed me completely. I was forced to do her bidding. I did so   
  
many horrible things for her. Her name was Tokimi." His mouth twisted in hatred.   
  
"I could not fight her, except for short periods." He looked down at Kamidake,   
  
his eye shining. "When I saw you, with the Lady Tsunami, I knew this was my   
  
chance. I could see that she loved you and you her." Kamidake looked at Sasami   
  
and she blushed. "So when I fought you I checked my blow, to make sure that it   
  
was not a mortal injury, but would appear to be. I knew that then, Lady Tsunami   
  
would set me free."  
  
Kamidake looked from the shade of his grandfather to Sasami. "But...but, I   
  
mean, couldn't she have just broken the possession?"   
  
Sasami spoke, her eyes downcast, her voice throbbing with unshed tears.   
  
"No, Tokimi is stronger than I. I knew that all I could do was set his soul   
  
free."   
  
Azaka sighed. "I only wish that I could join the light."  
  
"Of course you will." Sasami snapped.   
  
Azaka jumped, then smiled, "you forgive me, My Lady?"  
  
"There is absolutely nothing to forgive." She said firmly. "Besides, I   
  
should be thanking you, my fear was holding me back from my true self, you   
  
helped me to become whole." She leaned over and pressed her forehead to Azaka's.   
  
"I must go now, my time is short." Azaka looked over at his grandson, his   
  
eye sparkling. "I am proud of you, Kamidake." He reached out and placed his   
  
insubstantial hand on his head. "Try not to remember me too harshly, and don't   
  
blame My Lady Tsunami."   
  
"Never, grandfather." Kamidake gasped.  
  
The blue light that made up Azaka's form began to dissipate as his shade   
  
settled back into his body. When he was completely joined, the light   
  
disappeared, and he lay in repose, a small smile on his face.   
  
Sasami touched her hands to the body's chest and spoke. "Your journey will   
  
be long, and your resting place far, but there you will have eternal joy."   
  
Beneath her hands, the body dissolved and became a form etched in twinkling   
  
lights. "Go, now." The goddess said softly, and she removed her hands. Azaka   
  
streaked off into the sky, heading towards the light. Sasami watched him go,   
  
with tears in her eyes.  
  
"Your Highness." Came a soft voice beside her. Her jaw clenched as she   
  
thought of when he might have been dead. She moved over to him and held him,   
  
healing him, as he wrapped his arms around her. She stared at him, his pale   
  
skin, his heart shaped face, his large gentle golden eyes, his mouth twisting as   
  
he tried to hold back his grief.  
  
"Kamidake." She said softly. "Call me Sasami."   
  
Author's notes:  
  
Well, this is my third fan fic and I hope that they are getting better. This fic   
  
was set in the OVA, but I felt that Kamidake from the TV series had a great deal   
  
of potential. So I brought him in, changed some things around, but maintained a   
  
connection to the guardians. So anyway, until I write again. Kyokki  
  
Questions, comments and complaints can be sent to kyokki21@yahoo.com I will   
  
answer back promptly, I promise. 


End file.
